Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has been under a full-time security detail since
State law enforcement also moved to protect families of the state’s Congress members during the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack.
Shortly after the 2020 election, then-Lt. Gov.-elect Deidre Henderson and her family were assigned an around-the-clock security detail from the Utah Highway Patrol and it remains to this day.
In a more temporary security move, Utah Highway Patrol troopers were dispatched during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to provide protection for the families of Utah’s six members of Congress.
Both of these security responses, never before reported, were confirmed to The Salt Lake Tribune by the Utah Department of Public Safety. They also are an acknowledgment of the fractious — potentially violent — politics of the times.
Such security precautions are rare, if not unprecedented, in Utah, outside the massive law-enforcement preparations for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
While it’s routine for the governor to have a full-time security detail, this is the first time such long-term protection has been afforded to the lieutenant governor.
The security detail for Henderson was initiated after a specific threat was identified, Lt. Nick Street, Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesperson, told The Tribune.
“There was a legitimate threat brought to our attention. Based on our analysis, we determined there was a need that warranted a response,” he said.
DPS would not provide any details about the nature of the threat, but acknowledged the detail for Henderson remains in place. Henderson’s office referred any questions about security arrangements to DPS.
At least one other member of the Legislature has asked DPS to respond to a possible threat.
Families of Utah’s congressional delegation, meanwhile, received temporary security protection amid the chaos of the January attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters. The siege was so alarming, DPS felt it required an immediate response.
“We didn’t know what kind of threat there was,” said Street. “We decided to put security on the entire delegation.”
The Utah commissioner of public safety, currently Jess Anderson, has statutory authority to provide protection for elected officials and dignitaries in the state. That “dignitary protection” program is responsible for providing security for the governor and his family, both houses of the Utah Legislature when they are in session, and other visiting dignitaries.
Read More: Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has been under a full-time security detail since